Dock plate



R. M. NELSON Feb. 24, 1953 DOCK PLATE 2 SI-lEETS-SHEET 1 Filed July 22,1947 INVENTOR. ZZZ/V2160),

R. M. NELSON Feb. 24, 1953 DOCK PLATE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed July 22.1947 INVENTOR- fiaberZ/if/Yeiaow I thereover.

Patented Feb. 24, 1953 irso STATES ATENT OFFECE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to dock plates, running boards, ramps and thelike for the bridging of gaps between loading areas such as loadingplatforms, freight cars, wharves and docks and over which heavy loads ondollies or trucks may be wheeled, and also to a dolly or truckconstruction especially designed for the lifting and transportation ofthe dock plate itself.

Heretofore, various forms of clock plates have been constructed andutilized on loading platforms and the like for the bridging of gapsbetween loading areas, but up to the advent of the present inventioneach form has had one or more disadvantages which have rendered itundesirable commercially. However, in spite of their drawbacks, the useof such older forms has continued for Want of a satisfactory solution.One prevalent form has comprised merely a rectangular flat steel plateof thick and heavy construction, but it has long been recognized thatsuch form had a relatively low load capacity and readily took apermanent set in the form of a belly when a heavy load was transportedTo resist such permanent set the thickness of the flat plates wasincreased with relatively improved results as far as resistance todistortion was concerned, but at the same time such plates became soheavy and cumbersome as to be almost unmanageable by a single operator.As a consequence, when they were being placed in or removed frombridging position serious accidents, including ruptures and injuries tothe hands or feet of operators often occurred. Because of their greatweight, the services of two operators were required to handle the dockplates and this resulted in a waste of manpower and increased loadingcosts. Moreover, the disadvantages of such heavy plates were furthermultiplied and increased when a large number were used in one area andwere required to be moved from place to place many times a day.

Other forms, in order to prevent the distortion thereof, were providedwith some form of supporting and reinforcing structure on the undersurface thereof but such reinforcing structure tended to increase theweight of the dock plate unduly and prevented it from being utilizedacross narrow gaps between loading areas, since the under structureprojected downwardly below the end edges of the main plate and rested onthe surfaces of loading areas causing the end edges to assume anelevated position and thereby preventing free movement of a vehiclethereover. The under structures of such older forms of clock plates alsofailed in some instances to reinforce the top plate to preventdistortion thereof while others were extremely heavy, were insecurelyattached to the top plate, or were of such 2 a construction as to renderassembly difficult and expensive.

Likewise, some older form utilized stop means to prevent movement andslippage of the dock plate in angular directions relative to the loadingareas under the rolling thrust of a loaded wheeled vehicle. But suchstop means were often inaccessible and difiicult to manipulate. Theywere likewise subject to damage when the dock plate was in storage andnot in use, since they projected downwardly and engaged the floor of thestorage area, thereby supporting the full weight of the dock plate.Where a stop was of the movable type, the weight of the dock platecaused distortion which was particularly serious since the parts becameso bent or sprung as to prevent ready movement of the stops whenadjustment was desired.

It was further found to be extremely difficult to move the heavy dockplates by hand from place to place because of their great bulk andweight and this difficulty was enhanced where only a few dock plateswere employed at a location involving many widely separated loadingareas and thus requiring frequent movement thereof from place to placeduring a working day. However, in spite of the existence of the problem,no satisfactory and readily operable vehicles have been devised by whichdock plates could be easily lifted, transported and deposited inoperable position and removed therefrom with a minimum of effort by asingle operator.

Therefore, one of the principal objects of the resent invention is toprovide an improved form of dock plate in combination with an improvedform of dolly or vehicle for transporting the dock plate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in combination animproved dock plate having means adapted to be engaged by engaging meansof a dolly and a dolly for transporting said dock plate. M,

Still another object is to provide an improved dock plate having a topplate, upstanding side walls at the side edges of the top plate toresist distortion of said plate and confine vehicles being movedthereover, and a rigid understructure of simple, strong and inexpensiveconstruction.

A further object of the invention is to provide dock plate having spacedand depending stops on the under side thereof for preventing slippage ofthe dock plate, at least one of the stops being acjustable and mountedfor movement from depending position to raised position so as to beremoved from interfering position when the dock plate is being storedand so as to serve as handle means adapted to be engaged with a dollyfor the transportation of the dock plate.

Another further object is to provide a dock plate of simple andrelatively inexpensive construction that can be produced in quantity andowned and used in quantity and which is adaptable to all operatingconditions and eliminates the necessity of various styles and sizes fora loading area having various loading conditions.

A still further object is to provide a dock plate having dependingspaced stops on the underside thereof, one of said stops being fixed andthe others of said stops being adjustable longitudi- I nally of theplate and pivotally mounted adjacent the respective side edges thereoffor ready access by an operator and for swinging movement from dependingto raised position, and a dolly comprising a pair of spaced andforwardly extending movable arms adapted to be engaged with anddisengaged from said upturned stop means and to be remotely controlledby the operator in a position at the rearward end of the dolly.

Another further object is to provide a dolly which may be readilyengaged with a dock plate by remote control and by which a dock platemay be readily lifted and transported from one loading area to anotheror to storage, said dolly providing sufi'icient leverage to facilitateready lifting of a dock plate and further providing a "portion adaptedto engage one end of the dock plate in elevated position to preventlateral movement or side sway during transportation thereof.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent as this description progresses, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a dock plate comprising a preferredembodiment of the present invention as viewed from the under sidethereof;

Fig. 2 is a transverse, vertical sectional view of the dock plate takenon the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a broken away section of the dockplate showing the adjustable stop means on one side thereof in dependingoperable position;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3,looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the broken away portionof the dock plate shown in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the dock plate shown in Figs. 1 to5, inclusive, and of a dolly or wheeled lifting device, and showing themanner in which the dolly may be operably connected with the adjustablestops in their up or vertical position for readily transporting the dockplate to and from gap bridging position; and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the dock plate and dolly shown in Fig. 6with a portion of the dock plate broken away.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 1, 2 and 6 of the drawings, the dockplate comprising a preferred embodiment of the present inventioncomprises a convex tread plate I!) that is longitudinally curved fromend to end so as to have its high point at substantially thelongitudinal center thereof. This plate I0 which is rectangular inshape, may be of varying dimensions as to be adaptable to differentoperating con ditions and sizes of gaps to be bridged, and may becomposed of a non-ferrous metal, such as an aluminum or magnesium alloy,as may the remainder of the parts thereof to be described hereinafter,in order to achieve lightness in weight, although it is to be understoodthat other types of metals may be used with satisfactory results. Alongits longitudinal side edges the curved plate I0 is provided withintegrally formed, upstanding flanges or side walls II and I2 whichserve not only to tiffen the plate I0 but also to preventfreight-carrying vehicles from running off the sides thereof and toinsure the personal safety of the operator. If desired, however, theside walls I I and I2 may be of separate construction from the plate I0and secured thereto by any suitable means such as by welding orriveting.

Secured to the under surface of the curved plate I0, such as by weldingor other suitable means, are three longitudinally extendingstrengthening beams I3, I4 and I6 which are transversely spaced fromeach other, the beams I3 and I6 being positioned adjacent the side edgesof the plate I0 and the beam I4 being secured along the center linethereof. Each of the beams I3, I4 and I6 are of simple, strong andinexpensive construction, being box-shaped and comprising horizontalplate members I1 and upstanding and transversely spaced vertical platemembers or ribs I8 and I9, which plate members and ribs may beintegrally formed or cast as a unit or may be welded together prior tobeing secured to the under surface of the plate ID.

The vertical plate members IB and I9 are p0- sitioned inwardly from theside edges of the horizontal plate members I! and their top edges arecurved in conformity with the top plate III, each tapering down to"substantially feather edges at one of their ends, and their bottomedges are straight for engagement with the plate members IT. The ends ofthe plate memhers I! corresponding with the feathered ends of thevertical plate members I8 and I9 are secured to the under surface of thetop plate I0, while the other end of the vertical plate members and thehorizontal plate members are rigidly secured to the inner and undersurface of the channel shaped stop member 22, rigidly secured to theunder surface of the dock plate. By means of this solid rigidconnection, the ends of the plate members I1, I8 and I9 are in operableeifect secured to the under surface of the dock plate and serve to tiethe end portions of the top plate together.

The beams I 3, I4 and I6 do not project below the plane of the end edgesof said plate In and by confining the beams I3, I 4 and I6 within thecurvature of the plate I0, the plate II] will always rest only upon itsend ed es without interference from the underneath beams regardless ofwhether the gap across which the dock plate is paced is wide or narrow.If the beams were of a greater height so as to project below the planeconnecting the end edges of the plate I I], the beams rather than the edes of the plate would rest upon the sides of the gap when placedthereacross, thus holding the end edges of the plate I II in an elevatedposition and preventing passage of a wheeled vehicle thereover.

By the foregoing construction the tread plate I6 is the compressionmember and the bottom plates I! of the beams I3, I4 and I6 are thetension members. Since the ends of the plate ID are thus tied togetherand since the vertical ribs I8 and I9 prevent buckling, the dock plateposscsses. extreme strength and capacity for its weight. A furtheradvantage is that the curved plate H) may still mt upon its.- and edgeseven though one side of the gap being bridged may be higher than. the.other. As shown in Fig. 6, the top surface of the loading area. .21 ishigher than. the top suriaceoi the area. 2th, but because the supportingbeams are withm the curvature of the plate H} and terminate short ofthe: end edges thereof, the and edges of the plate H! are incompleteengagement with the loading area surfaces.

In order.- to prevent movement of. the dock plate in a longitudinal orangina: direction relative to the edges of the. loading platforms,docks.

freight car floors, etc., shown somewhat diagrammatically in Fig; (i ofthe drawings. and indicated by the reference numerals 2.0 and Zlythe.dock plate is provided with. spaced'stopmembers 22 and 23 which areadaptcd'to project downwardly below the beams l3, l4 and [8 sons toengage the vertical sides '24 and 25 of theloading areas and 2 I,respectively. The stop member 22, which extends transversely of the dockplate .10, is permanently and rigidly secured. as by welding or othersuitable means, to the under surface of the curved plate to at the endsof the beams f 3, I :1 and I6 and is channel shaped with. one side ofthe channel .securertto the plate and the bottom wall thereof adaptedto-engage against the top edge and vertical wall 24 Tofthe loading area20. Thus when-the dock plate is placed in gap-bridging positionbetweenthe loading areas 26 and 2t, it isspushed over-theupper surfaceof the loading area in untile-sthe'stop zl-engages the edge and thevertical "wall Hither-cot. When the plate is in this tultypushed-Lurpositionfthe depending movablestop members-23; whlchnre positioned alongthez' side 'edgest'ofthebeamsfl and f6, are moved'longitudinally awayfrom the stop 22 until they-eachrengage th'evertlcal face 26 of theloading area-2L": With the stops-22' and 23 inengagemenflwitmthe'vertical walls 24 and 26 of the loading areas 23 andat any longitudinal or angular movement of the dockplate relative;

to the loading areas under' extreinely heavy thrusts and stress duringuse thereol'is prevented.

The movable stops 23' which are or identical construction are slidaclymounted on the beams l3 and 16 for longitudinal movement therealong.Each comprises a flat, channel-shaped slide 21 extending under thehorizontal beam plate I! and having inturned flanges and 28 inenragement with and supported by the projecting side portions of saidbeam plate. The spaced flanges 28 on the outer side of the slide 21 areintegrally formed on spaced bearing members 29- and 30 while the flange25 forms a portion of. an angle iron 25a secured to the inner side ofthe slide by set screws 2521.. I 25 and 28 are so fitted and adjusted tothe beam plate I 1 that it may be readily moved therealong whenlongitudinal adjustment of the stop 23 is re uired. The slide 2'1 isalso provided at its outer side and at each end thereof with two spacedproiecting bearing members 29 and 30 having aligned cores 3! and 3'respectively. extendim longitudinally therethrough into which isreceived a hinge or ivot p n 33.

An angular plate 34 having a triangularly j shaped vertical portion 36,a'horizontally extending portion 31 and an enlar'ed hub portion 39through w ich the ivot pin 33 extends. is pivotally su ported forpivotal movement from a lower depending position to a raised upwardlyextend- The slide 2! and its flanges ing position illustrated by the.full and broken lines. in Figs. 2 and 6 of the drawings. In. itsdepending position the plate 34 serves as a stop for the dock platewhile in its upwardly directed position it serves as a handle means bywhich the entire dock plate may be engaged and transported by a leveragedolly. Because of its angular construction, the plate 34, when independing position, does not project outside of the side edges of thebeams l3 and I6 and of the curved plate 10 so as to cause interferenceduring use of the dock plate, and the horizontal portion 31 engages theunder surface of the top plate so as to be supported thereby during use.In addition, when the stop 23 is swung about its pivot 33 to its upwardposition, the plate 34 will clear the projecting side edges of thecurved plate H]. In this raised position the vertical portion 36 of theplate 34 will engage an bear against the outer surface of the verticalside walls H and I2 thereof, respectively, when the dolly arms are movedinwardly, and because of this latter bearing engagement, the weight ofthe dock plate is relieved somewhat from the hinge points 33 of thestops and the possibility of relative lateral movement therebetween iseliminated.

' and. 15, each is. provided with locking means which are operable whenthe stop is either in its depending or its raised, upward positions butwhich are inoperable when the stop is in its horizontal position andthereby permitting longitudinal adjustment thereof. This locking means,as shown in Figs. 1 to 5. inclusive, of the drawings, may comprise aplurality of gear teeth 49 and 4! cut in the opposite sides of the hubportion 39 of the angular stop plate 34, which teeth are adapted to meshwith teeth 42 cut in the side edges of the horizontal plates I! of thebeams l3 and [6 so as to comprise an integrally formed rack. The upmrportion 43 of the hub 39 is of such reduced size as compared. to theteeth, ll!) and 43 thereon that when the angular plate 34 is pivoted toa horizontal position, the hub portion 39 will be out of lockedengagement with the horizontal beam plate I? and the angular stop plate3 and the slide 21 will be freely slida blc therealong. However, when'the angular plate BL? is moved to its downward position the gear teeth46 will mesh with the teeth 42 of the beam plate H, and when the angularplate 34 is in its raised, upward position the gear teeth 41 will alsomesh with the teeth 42. Because of the engagement of the gear teeth 40or H with the gear teeth 32, the stop 23 is locked against longitudinalmovement in its depending and raised positions and longitudinaladjustment thereof may be accomplished only by the conscious act of theoperator in holding the angular plate 33 outwardly in horizontalposition and moving it in the desired direction. It is to be noted thatin place of the interengaging teeth 48, 4t and 42, other locking means,such as a beam clamp employing a camming action, may be utilized withsatisfactory results. Because of their proximity to the side edges ofthe top plate Hi, the stops 23 are readily accessible to the operationfor manipulation and adjustment thereof.

The angular plates 34! of each stop 23 are each provided with an openingit through the extreme and portions thereof into which may be projectedthe inturned pick-up pins 45 and t? of a leverage dolly 48, shown inFigs. 6 and 7 of the drawings, when it is desired to move the dock plateto another location upon completion of its use. The dolly 48, which maybe utilized with existing dock plates upon provision of said plates withengaging means, comprises a frame supported on two wheels 49 rotatablymounted on the projecting ends of an axle 56 which project outwardlyfrom the sides of the forward ends of elongated lower side rods on eachside of the dolly. The forward ends of the side rods 5| are secured inlower blocks 52 and extend rearwardly and upwardly, their rear endsbeing secured to a transverse handle rod 53 adapted to be grasped by theoperator in pushing or rocking the dolly. The handle portion 53 isintegrally connected to forwardly extending and diverging upper siderod- 54, whose forward ends are rigidly secured in upper blocks 56 andwhose intermediate portions are connected by transverse rods 51, therods 51 at their inner ends being secured in a bearing member 55.Vertical bracing rods 58 are secured to and between the side rods 5| and54 and diagonal bracing rods 59 extend downwardly and rearwardly fromthe upper blocks 56 to the intermediate portions of the side rods iii. Atransverse rod 66 is rigidly secured and extends between the upperblocks 56 and the upper and lower bearing blocks 56 and 52,respectively, on the respective sides of the dolly are rigidly connectedby vertical rods 6| received within the said blocks. The foregoingelongated side and cross rods being rigidly secured in the blocks 56 and52 and to each other form a strong, rigid but light framework having along operating leverage for lifting the dock plate.

A threaded shaft 62 extends longitudinally of the dolly through thebearing member 55 and has its forward end retained and rotatablysupported within a bearing member 63 mounted on the transverse rod 66. Afollower 64 is mounted on the screw threaded shaft 62 at the forward endthereof and in threaded engagement therewith and is adapted to movelongitudinally upon rotation of the screw 62, such rotation beingeffected by rotation of a wheel 66 fixed on the end of the screw 62 in aposition accessible to the operator standing back of the handle 53. Apair of links 6'! and 68 are pivoted to the respective sides of thefollower 64 and extend forwardly and outwardly therefrom. The forwardend of the link 61 is pivoted to a dock plate supporting arm 69 by meansof a pin 16 while the forward end of the link 68 is pivoted to theforward end of a short lever H by means of a removable pin 12 whichextends downwardly into engagement with a dock plate supporting arm 13and causes the arm 13 and the short lever 1| to swing as a unit. Thedock plate supporting arms 69 and 13 on the respective sides of thedolly have their respective forward ends secured to the forward ends ofdiagonal arms I4, 14, the rearward ends of the connected arms 69 and i4being pivoted to forwardly projecting bearing plates 16 and ll of thebearing blocks 56 and 52, respectively, and the rearward ends of theconnected arms 13 and It being rigidly secured to the upper and lowerends of a vertical tubular member 18 rotatably supported on the verticalshaft of the short lever ll between the forwardly projecting bearingplates 16 and Ti of the blocks 56 and 52, respectively. Braces or struts15 extend diagonally between the upper and lower arms 73 and 14 and 69and it and serve to maintain the arms in assembled position and tosupport the load at 86, as shown in Fig. 6, when the end of the dockplate presses thereagainst in elevated position.

When use of the dock plate has been completed and it is desired toremove it to another location for reuse or for storage, the operator 8will first swing the adjustable stops 23 into their horizontal positionso as to disengage the gear teeth and then longitudinally along thebeams l3 and I6 until they are in the desired position between thecenter of gravity of the dock plate and the end of the dock plateadjacent the dolly 48. When this position has been reached, the stops 21may then be swung another into their upward position, shown in Fig. 6,after which the dolly 48 may be rolled into position and its handleportion 53 raised up so that the pick-up pins 46 and 41 of thesupporting 69 and I3 arms are lowered into substantial alignment withthe openings 44 of the stops 23. Such alignment can readily beaccomplished by the operator from the remote position at the rear handle53. The operator may then rotate the wheel 66 in the proper direction soas to cause the dock plate supporting arms 69, I4 and l3, T4 to be movedinwardly by means of the screw 62, the follower 64, the links 61, 68 andH. Inward movement of the arms is continued by further rotation of thewheel 66 until the pins 46 and 41 have entered and have passed throughthe holes 44 of the stops 23.

When the dolly has been so engaged with the dock plate in the foregoingmanner, the operator merely pushes down on the handle portion 53 and,because of the great leverage afforded by the long side rods 54 and 5|,the dock plate is readily raised from the surfaces of the loading areas2!] and 2|. As the dock plate is lifted, its near end, being on thelight side due to the positioning of the stops 23 on one side of thecenter-of gravity, is' first raised and this raising movement of thenear side continues until the upper surface of the curved plate In nearthe end thereof engages a bumper 80. Thereafter, continued rockingmovement of the dolly 48 will lift the entire dock plate from theloading areas 20 and 2| and it may then be turned on its wheels andpushed by the operator to another location. If the other location shouldbe storage, the operator merely raises the rear handle portion 53 so asto deposit the dock plate gently on a storage surface after which heturns the wheel 66 to spread apart the arms and withdraw the pins 46 and41 from the stops 23. Since the adjustable stops 23 are in their upwardposition, they do not support the weight of the dock plate and hence arenot subject to damage during the period of non-use. Furthermore, theyare in proper pin-receiving position for movement by the dolly whenreuse of the dock plate is required.

In order to facilitate storage of the dolly 48, the operator may readilyremove the pin 12 so as to disengage the short lever H from operableconnection with the lifting arm 13 and permit the arm 73 to be foldedtransversely back against the cross rod 69. By making this disconnectionthe arm 69 may also be folded transversely against the arm 13, thislatter folding movement being accomplished by rotation of the wheel 66to retract the follower 64 to an extreme rearward position. With thearms in this folded position, the operator may then turn the dolly onend in vertical position against a wall with the arms '13 and 69 in downposition, thereby consuming little storage space in spite of its largelifting capacity. The dolly can readily be restored to operablecondition merely by moving the arms 13 and 69 back into their normalposi tion and reinserting the pin 12 so as to reestablish the connectionbetween the arm 13 and the short lever II.

It must therefore be manifest from the foregoing description andaccompanying drawings that by the present invention a vastly improvedform of dock plate has been devised in combination with an especiallydesigned dolly by which the dock plate may be moved from one loadingarea to another over relatively long distances many times a day by theefforts of but one operator. The dock plate itself is of safe, strongand inexpensive construction and is relatively light in weight. Thesimple but efficient understructure in combination with the integrallyformed side walls of the top plate In serve to prevent all distortion orbellying of the top plate, and the effective construction of the stops22 and 23 prevents any slippage whatsoever of the plate relative to theloading areas. In addition to being positive in their action, the stops23 are readily accessible to the operator and may be adjustedlongitudinally or raised upwardly for engagement with the dolly with aminimum of effort. Moreover, the engagement of the dolly with the stops23 may be so quickly accomplished by a single unskilled workman, thatlittle time is lost in moving the dock plate about loading areas, thenet result being maximum consumption of available loading time and lowlabor costs.

Although there has been shown in the drawings and described abovepreferred embodiments of the dock plate and cooperating dolly comprisingthe present invention, it is apparent that changes in details ofconstruction and operation may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dock plate for bridging a gap between two loading areas comprisinga top plate, a plurality of spaced stops secured on the under side ofsaid dock plate and extending downwardly therefrom, one of said stopsbeing adjustable longitudinally and mounted for swinging movement in avertical plane from depending position to raised position, and lockingmeans for retaining said adjustable stop against longitudinal movementin both its depending and raised positions, said locking meanscomprising a fixed locking member rigidly carried at the under side ofsaid dock plate and oppositely extending complementary locking memberscarried on the swingable stop and adapted to be engaged with said fixedlocking member in both the depending and raised positions of saidswingable stop but being disengaged therefrom in an intermediateposition.

2. A dock plate for bridging a gap between two loading areas comprisinga top plate, a plurality of transversely spaced and longitudinallyextending beams secured to the under surface of said top plate, at leastone of said beams being disposed adjacent one edge of said plate, aplurality of spaced stops secured on the under side of said dock plateand extending downwardly therefrom for engagement with the verticalfaces of opposed loading areas, one of said stops being adjustablelongitudinally along said one beam and comprising a slide mounted onsaid one beam, an elongated member pivoted to said slide for swingingmovement in a vertical plane from depending position to raised position,and looking means for retaining said slide against longitudinal movementin both depending and raised positions and adapted to be disengaged upon75 swinging movement of said elongated member in a vertical plane fromdepending or raised position to a position angular thereto, said lockingmeans comprising rack means on said one beam and cooperating teeth onsaid pivoted elongated member.

3. A dock plate for bridging a gap between two loading areas comprisinga top plate, a plurality of transversely spaced and longitudinallyextending beams secured to the under surface of said top plate, at leastone of said beams being disposed adjacent one edge of said top plate andbeing provided with an outwardly extending flange having teeth at itsouter side edge, a plurality of spaced stops secured on the under sideof said dock plate and extending downwardly therefrom for engagementwith the vertical faces of opposed loading areas, one of said stopsbeing adjustable longitudinally along said one beam and comprising aslide mounted on said flange, an elongated member pivoted at one end tosaid slide adjacent said flange for swinging movement in a verticalplane and having teeth on one side of its pivoted end adapted to engagethe teeth on said flange whereby said stop is restrained againstlongitudinal movement in depending position and may be movedlongitudinally when it is pivoted in a vertical plane to disengage saidteeth.

4. A dock plate for bridging a gap between two loading areas comprisinga top plate, a plurality of transversely spaced and longitudinallyextending beams secured to the under surface of said top plate, at leastone of said beams being disposed adjacent one edge of said top plate andbeing provided with an outwardly extending flange having teeth at itsouter side edge, a plurality of spaced stops secured on the under sideof said dock plate and extending downwardly therefrom for engagementwith the vertical faces of opposed loading areas, one of said stopsbeing adjustable longitudinally along said flange and comprising a slidemounted on said flange, an elongated member pivoted at one end to saidslide adjacent said flange for swinging movement in a vertical plane andhaving teeth on the opposite sides of its pivoted end adapted to engagerespectively the teeth on said flange when said elongated member is independing position and in raised position whereby said adjustable stopmay be restrained against longitudinal movement in both its dependingand raised positions.

ROBERT M. NELSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Christensen Feb. 15, 1949

